This Frozen World
by nightowl880
Summary: Natsu's team goes out on a job, but Natsu ends up sick... One-shot. Dedicated to DarkShiningLight.


**God, that took me forever. Sorry for the wait. This is dedicated to DarkShiningLight. Thanks so much for waiting patiently! I hope you like it. Remember to review, favorite, and follow me (not the story, because there will be no more chapters).**

I grinned, loving the familiar way my mouth widened and opened over my teeth and stopping at my sharp canines. The wind ruffled my hair. I squinted my eyes against it and carried on pummeling the dark guild members as they charged me desperately. They were hoping for a miracle that would never come – the job was to get rid of every last one of them, after all.

Around me, the shouts and roars of my friends and teammates were clear in the whirlwind of fights. erza wore her Black Wing armor, flying above her opponents and slashing down at them. To her left, Gray was mostly naked and freezing groups of small fries in blocks of ice. Wendy and Carla hovered above the general fight, sending wind attacks from above. And on my other side, Lucy and her spirits were holding their own against a cluster of four or five dark guild members. As I watched, Virgo began drilling holes underneath the feet of the grunts and sending them screaming to who-knows-where. I chuckled and turned back to my own small war just in time to punch another guy in the face and send him flying. Two more rushed me, and I charred them with a roar. I wiped my mouth with the back of a hand, smirking. The Snake Tongue guild was hardly worth our time. They were ridiculously weak.

Ten minutes later, we were finished with them and eating at a local bar with the money we'd earned on the job. I gulped down another chicken leg and glared at Gray, who was reaching for the last one. He glared back and we prepared to fight for it, but then Erza smacked us and took the leg herself. I sat back down, eyeing my empty plate sadly. A tap on my shoulder brought my head up to come face-to-face with Lucy. She smiled at me quietly and offered me her uneaten chicken leg. "You know, I'm not really hungry," she said. "Here." I grinned and took it, scarfing it down in seconds. She stared and then burst out laughing. I laughed with her. "Jeez, Natsu," Lucy gasped. "I wasn't going to take it back or something." I laughed harder.

"Thanks, Luce," I said when I finally managed to calm down. "I was still hungry." She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the tabletop and letting her head fall to lay on her arms.

"Do you remember when we first met and I treated you to lunch?" she asked, closing her eyes. A tiny smile pushed the corners of her mouth upwards. A strand of blonde hair fell into her face, and my fingers itched to push it away. I clenched them in my pants instead. That would be weird, right?

"How could I forget?" I said lightly, trying to distract myself by recalling the day we'd met. It was bright and sunny, and the air smelled like salt. We were in the port town of Hargeon. I was an orphaned boy, looking for the parent who had abandoned me, and she was traveling, a girl who had run away from her father and everything money could buy. We were both a little crooked, pretending we were hanging straight like everyone else. Two kids who missed being loved. Two kids trying their best to find a place in the world for themselves. Two kids looking for someone to believe in.

"And then we met each other," Lucy said softly. I jumped. She had taken the words right out of my thoughts. "I thought you were super weird at first, you know." She laughed, and I realized she had been talking while I daydreamed. "Still do, now that I think about it." I smiled a little.

"Yeah, that's me." I stared off into space for a moment. "We've had some good times, huh?" Her chin tilted a fraction.

"Mm. Like when we broke into Duke Everlue's mansion for that book, Dear Kaby. Or was it Daybreak? Can't remember." I nodded, remembering being a ninja. That was fun.

"Or when we went fishing for those Wingfish. They were pretty awful, weren't they?"

She sighed contentedly. "Or when you ate that sketchy mushroom and then grew one on your head." Her voice faded as she finished the sentence, her breathing deepening. She was beautiful just like that, hair a golden curtain shielding her from prying eyes.

"Sometimes I think we should stay just like this forever," I mumbled without thinking. "I mean, the two of us as partners like this. Lucy, I–" I paused, feeling my cheeks redden. Saying something like that was really embarrassing. I stared at the table, working up the courage to glance over at her. When I did, I couldn't find any change. She was still buried in her little cave. "Lucy?" I poked her cheek, and a tiny breath escaped her mouth. I sagged in my seat. She was asleep. Well, of course. She'd worked hard today, summoning so many spirits one after the other.

Of its own accord, my hand reached for her face again and swept away the hair covering her eyes, tucking it behind her small ear. "Natsu?" Gray said. I flinched and stood up, hiding my hands behind my back.

"Y-Yeah?" I said nervously. "Whaddya need, Ice Boy?" He gestured at Lucy.

"We're leaving. She asleep?" I nodded.

"I'll carry her." Lifting her onto my back, I nodded again. "Let's go."

On the walk to the train station, my stomach was churning. I felt a little sick. Lucy's weight pulled down on my back and shoulders, sending tired whispers straight to my brain. The others walked just in front of me, laughing and talking. Erza was a little bit off-balance – I was pretty sure she'd gotten her hands on some booze before we left the bar. She slapped Gray hard on the shoulder, almost pitching him face-first onto the sidewalk. I grimaced in sympathy as she ground her knuckles fondly into his scalp.

Finally we were on the train back to Magnolia and I could put Lucy down and focus on not throwing up on the seat. Somehow, the nausea was worse than usual. Instead of just feeling queasy, it was more like I could feel the vomit working its way up my throat, preparing to reemerge into the world. I clamped my lips firmly shut and rode it out for three torturous hours. As the train was pulling into the station, Gray grabbed Erza's arm and slung me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, saying he didn't want to have to chase the train all the way to the other end of Fiore. Wendy woke Lucy up and they got off after us. Gray dumped me on solid ground in the station, but everything kept spinning even after the train closed its doors and pulled out again. He looked at me with a glance of disgust. "What's the matter with you, idiot? Shouldn't you be over the motion-sickness by now?"

"Shut up," I muttered. "I don't know what's wrong with me." I clenched my teeth against a fresh wave of nausea, feeling my face turn an unattractive shade of green. Lucy crouched next to me and laid a cool hand on my forehead.

"You're burning up, Natsu," she exclaimed, brown eyes wide. I frowned.

"I'm always this hot." She shook her head, frowning.

"No, you're not. This isn't normal, even for you. You're sick."

"He never gets sick, Lucy," Gray interjected. "I've never even seen him with a cold. Just leave him. He'll be fine." He turned away, supporting a half-asleep Erza. "It's late. I'm taking Erza and Wendy home."

After he was gone, Lucy sighed and sat on the concrete next to me. "Jeez, that Gray. How am I supposed to get you home by myself? Oh, Happy," she said suddenly. I blinked, realizing Happy was still there with us too. I was feeling a little delirious. Lucy's voice faded out as I closed my eyes. A soft breeze wrapped around my body, and the next thing I knew, I was opening my eyes to pale morning sunshine. I blinked a couple times, trying to orient myself. I wasn't at home, that was for sure. A furry blue body was curled up at my side, tucked into the space between my arm and my torso. Happy sat up as I moved my arm.

"You're awake!" he exclaimed. Before I could react, he flew off somewhere, leaving me to assess the situation. I was in Lucy's apartment, it seemed, tucked into her bed. My body ached, and my stomach was still sort of sour. Just as I made to get out of bed, Lucy appeared in the doorway.

"Ah–! Wait wait wait wait!" she commanded, running to the bed and pushing me back down. It was just as well, because moving made me dangerously dizzy. "You can't get up yet, Natsu," she scolded me. "It looks like you have food poisoning. Just stay there a little while, okay? I already called Wendy over, and she'll be here in a bit. It looks like Erza and Gray have it too, so she's over there right now." I frowned.

"Food poisoning?" She nodded.

"I'm pretty sure it was the chicken. Wendy and I didn't have any, but you three did." An image of Lucy offering me her drumstick popped into my head, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Thank God for small miracles.

"So you're okay?" I asked, just to make sure. She smiled.

"I'm fine. Anyway, you should go back to sleep. Wendy will be here in an hour or so." She turned to go, but my hand shot out to grab her wrist.

"Wait." I had no idea what I was doing. Was I still feverish? That was probably it. I mean, what the hell was I doing? "Will you sit with me until she gets here?" Definitely a fever. Lucy turned red like someone had flicked a switch, instantaneously. She took a deep breath, trying to calm down. She offered me a weak smile, which slowly became a real one. The color in her cheeks lightened.

"Sure. Just give me a second, okay?" I released her wrist reluctantly and watched as she walked to her desk, picked something up, and returned, bringing the chair with her. She sat, laying a thick stack of papers on her lap, and grinned at me. "Okay, I'm all set. Now go to sleep, okay?" I nodded and closed my eyes, turning onto my side so I faced her. The sheets rustled and suddenly her fingers tangled with mine. I squeezed once and she squeezed back. I could feel the shyness in her skin, and couldn't help but smirk.

eventually, I drifted into a doze, not really awake but not quite unconscious yet. The invisible swish of paper against paper lulled me farther toward sleep, and Lucy's warm hand was comfortingly familiar in mine. When I was just teetering on the brink of sleep, though, her hand pulled away gently. I frowned slightly, listening to her stand and walk back and forth across the room, moving things. Then her footsteps drew nearer and stopped at the edge of the bed. The mattress dipped as she sat next to me, her waist fitting into the space my legs and stomach made. Her fingertips traced across my jaw, from my chin up to my ear. They followed my hairline to my forehead, sweeping the stray hairs away from my eyes. She ran her fingers lightly through my hair and then they halted. I could hear her breathing, feel her leaning closer, sense her heart beating in her fingers. Her lips brushed my hair, my eyelids, my cheek. She took a deep breath, and I could feel her heart speed up. I held my breath, not daring to even think in case it scared her away.

A knock on the door sent her flying across the room in a flurry. I opened my eyes and sat up, ignoring my spinning head. It wasn't spinning because I was sick, anyway. Lucy opened the door to Wendy, who came in looking exhausted. She had been using her healing magic all day already. I felt bad for her.

"Hey, Natsu," she said in her soft little girl's voice. "Feeling any better?" Carla came in behind her, frowning ominously.

"I really think it would be better for you to treat him tomorrow, child," she said to Wendy. Wendy protested, but Lucy pushed her into one of the cushioned chairs in the middle of the room.

"You look ready to drop, Wendy," she said kindly. "He's not going anywhere, so at least rest for a bit, okay? All Natsu really needs is more sleep and he'll be fine." Wendy still looked uncertain.

"She's right, Wendy," I said cheerfully. "I'll be fine – I'm tough." She giggled and relaxed a bit.

"Well, I guess a little while can't hurt." She curled up like a cat in the chair and was asleep almost instantly. Carla climbed into her lap and went to sleep too, snoring softly. I laughed.

"She's a good kid." Lucy nodded absently, sitting on the edge of the bed like she had before.

"Yeah," she said, yawning. "Just watching her makes me even more tired." I frowned at her.

"Have you gotten any sleep since we got back?"

"No, I was busy making sure you were going to be okay and stuff." My frown deepened. Hooking an arm around her waist, I scooted over in the bed and dragged her into my previous spot, nudging her under the blankets. "W-What are you doing?"

"You need to sleep," I insisted. "There's enough room here for both of us, anyway." Her face turned a bright shade of red, but she stopped resisting me. I lay down, my arm still around her waist, and flipped onto my side so we were face-to-face. Closing my eyes, I tucked the top of her head under my chin and pulled her close. She let out a tiny gasp.

"Natsu," she whispered. I ignored her. She poked me in the shoulder. "Natsu, what are you doing?"

My grip on her tightened. "Shh. I'm trying to sleep like you told me."

A minute passed, then two. Hesitantly, her arms slid around my back and pulled me closer. Her cheek pressed into my collarbone and she let out a barely-there sigh. Her breathing slowed and evened out. Her heartbeat twined with mine, forming a reassuring rhythm. I smiled and took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of burned sugar and vanilla as it wafted from her golden hair. Time poured out of its jar like cold molasses, and an indefinable sense of peace settled over the room.

The world froze there, in a moment where nothing had meaning except for the smell of her hair and the beating of her heart.

**I hope you liked it! Again, sorry it took me so long. Remember to review, favorite, and follow.**

**Oh, in case anyone cares, I realize that normally food poisoning involves lots of upchucking and such. I just didn't want to write that bit, so it was avoided.**

**PS – after I finish Just Friends, I have a lot of other ideas for what kind of fic to write next. There's a GaLe one-shot/fic (haven't decided which yet), a sorta-NaLu fic about the Fairy Tail crew as gangsters (sounds weird, I know, but it'll be better than it sounds), and there's also a Natsume-Mikan one-shot I started a while ago for any Gakuen Alice fans out there. Any preferences?**

**Love you guys! Bye!**


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